Because it facilitates electronic communications between merchants and purchasers, the Internet is increasingly being used to conduct “electronic commerce.” The Internet comprises a vast number of computers and computer networks that are interconnected through communication channels. Electronic commerce refers generally to commercial transactions that are at least partially conducted using the computer systems of the parties to the transactions. For example, a purchaser can use a personal computer to connect via the Internet to a merchant's computer. The purchaser can then interact with the merchant's computer to conduct the transaction.
The World Wide Web application of the Internet is an especially effective environment for electronic commerce. Many Web applications have been developed through which merchants can advertise and sell items. In particular, many such “Web merchants” sell physical items, such as books, that are delivered through conventional physical shipment channels, such as a common carrier.
While Web merchants have gained significant market share from traditional storefront merchants for many types of products, consumers have demonstrated a measure of reluctance about purchasing some types of products from Web merchants. In particular, consumable products such as food staples and personal care items have proven difficult for Web merchants to sell in significant quantities.
This is at least in part because of the way in which a consumer's need for such consumable products commonly arises. It is common for a consumer to first realize that a consumable product must be replenished when the consumer exhausts his or her supply of the consumable product. For example, a consumer may not realize that he or she needs to purchase more shaving gel until his or her current supply is exhausted. Because of the regularity with which many consumable items are used, such products often must be replenished within a very short time of their exhaustion. For example, a consumer may need to replenish exhausted shaving gel within one day. Because of the short time in which most consumable products must be replenished, Web merchants are typically unable to deliver them in time. Further, aside from delivery time issues, it seldom occurs to consumers to purchase such products from a Web merchant.
This is unfortunate, since conventional approaches to this problem leave much to be desired. In order to replenish such products, it is typical for a consumer to make a special trip to a traditional storefront merchant, thereby expending significant time, as well as substantial expense for fuel, parking, etc.
To address this issue, many purchasers go to the lengths of purchasing outlandish quantities of such products in order to reduce the frequency with which they must face the task of replenishing them. Such a strategy requires the commitment of a large amount of space in the purchaser's car and storage space in the purchaser's home, however, as well the acceleration of a significant aggregated cost.
Accordingly, a facility for automatically initiated replenishment of such products would have significant utility.